Stephen Fink, Ed.D.
Office
Center for Educational Leadership
University of Washington
College of Education
9709 3rd Avenue NE, Suite 306
Seattle, WA 98115
Telephone: (206) 221-6877
FAX: (206) 221-6774
EDUCATION AND DEGREES
1984
Doctor of Education, Educational Administration
Brigham Young University
David O. McKay School of Education
Provo, Utah
1978
Master of Arts, Special Education
California State University Northridge
Northridge, California
1974
Bachelor of Arts, Political Science with an emphasis in public administration
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Executive Director, Affiliate Associate Professor
Center for Educational Leadership
College of Education
University of Washington, 2000 - present
The Center for Educational Leadership is a self-sustaining entity within the university
providing an array of programs and services for superintendents, district administrators,
principals and teacher leaders. In addition, the Center maintains comprehensive
partnerships with ten school districts with the aim of building the systems level
leadership capacity necessary to eliminate the achievement gap. The Center’s annual
budget is approximately $4,500,000 of fee for service revenue, with 13 full and part time
staff, along with 35 contracted coaches. Responsibilities include providing overall
leadership direction for the Center; management of day-to-day operations, including
program development, school district partnership development, budget and finance, and
marketing; executive leadership coaching for superintendents and district administrators;
and, serving as a faculty member in the College of Education, area of Educational
Leadership and Policy Studies.

Senior Program Consultant
Panasonic Foundation, 1989 - Present
Partnership work involves providing direct technical assistance to superintendents, school
board members and teacher union leaders with the aim of whole system improvement.
Specific work has included school board development, and executive leadership coaching
of superintendents, union leaders, principals and community leaders. Prior work with the
Foundation includes serving as the chief designer and coordinator of the Leadership
Associates Program which provides advanced leadership training for the Foundation's
nine partner districts. Consulting work with the Foundation has included work in urban
school systems including, Norwalk-LaMirada, CA, Minneapolis, San Diego, Baton
Rouge, Atlanta, Santa Fe, Englewood, N.J., Allentown, PA, Broward County, FL,
Norristown, PA. Advise and edit a variety of Foundation publications.

Assistant Superintendent
Edmonds School District, 1991- 2000
Responsibilities included providing direct leadership and supervision (area
superintendent) for a region of K-12 schools; leadership and facilitation for all
elementary schools; and, direct supervision of student services programs which included
special education, Title I, bilingual, early childhood; psychological, health and child care
services. Leadership accomplishments included transforming a large school district into
a standards driven system where increasing numbers of students met higher standards.
This was accomplished through extensive work coaching and mentoring building
principals, creating learning communities for building and central office leaders, and
working with the school board and external community stakeholders.

Faculty
Nova Southeastern University, Doctoral Program in Child and Youth Studies,
1996 - 1999
Responsibilities included teaching the specialization course for second year doctoral
students in the area of systemic change. Assisted in the development of course
curriculum and specialization content.

Executive Director for Special Programs
Edmonds School District, 1984 - 1991
Responsibilities included leadership and supervision of special education, state
categorical programs, and federal programs. Extensive work with the state legislature
developing legislation promoting integrated program delivery.

Adjunct Faculty
Graduate School of Business and Management, Chapman College, 1986-1988
Responsibilities included teaching M.B.A. core classes in Organizational Theory and
Behavior. Developed seminars in Leadership and Organizational Change.

Elementary School Principal
Idaho State School for the Deaf and Blind, 1981-84
Responsibilities included providing instructional and curricular leadership for the total
educational programs of handicapped students ages 2-13. Supervision and evaluation
responsibilities for approximately 30 certificated and classified staff.

Secondary Special Education Teacher
Idaho State School for the Deaf and Blind, 1978-81
PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS
Washington State Professional Education Certificate, Continuing Administrator, P-12 Principal;
Superintendent
Washington State Professional Education Certificate, Continuing K-8 Teacher; Continuing
Special Education Teacher
PUBLICATIONS

Fink, S., and Silverman, M. October 2008 Education Week “The Not So Inevitable
Failure of High School Conversions”

New Horizons for Learning Journal, Fall 2003, “The Courage to Lead an Equity
Agenda.”

New Horizons for Learning Journal, Spring 2002, “Beyond the Rhetoric of the
Achievement Gap.”

Teaching and Change, April 2001, "Standards and Whole System Change."

Educational Leadership, October 1992, "How We Restructured Our Categorical
Programs."

Washington Association of School Principals News, Winter/Spring 1993-94,
"Are You Serious About Change?"

Changing Schools: Insights, Papers prepared at the request of the Office of Policy and
Planning, U.S. Department of Education, 1992, "Restructuring Categorical Programs for
Low Performing and Handicapped Students."

Strategies For School System Leaders on District-Level Change, September 1994,
AASA/Panasonic Foundation Publication, "Building Labor and Management
Coalitions," editor for the section on Edmonds, WA, "Abiding by Stand-Alone
Principles."

Strategies For School System Leaders on District-Level Change, July 1997,
AASA/Panasonic Foundation Publication, "Powerful Connections: Clustering Schools
and Networking Districts," editor for the section on Edmonds, WA, "The Mantra Is Keep
It Simple."
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Organizations include:
Washington Educational Research Association; Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development; Washington Association of School Principals; Washington
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development; Association of California
School Administrators; University of Washington Policy Makers Exchange; Rapides
Foundation Educational Leaders Program; Washington Association of School
Administrators; New Mexico Association for the Severely Handicapped; National
Association of Vocational Special Needs Personnel; Washington Association of
Counselor Educators; Washington Council for Exceptional Children; Idaho Association
of School Administrators; San Diego Unified School District; Los Angeles Unified
School District Public Education Partnership; Panasonic Foundation Leadership
Associates Program; Harvest Foundation Educational Leaders Program; Washington
State School Directors Association; California School Boards Association; Education
Trust National Conference; National School Boards Association; Orchard Foundation
Superintendents’ Leadership Network; International Congress for School Effectiveness
and Improvement; Council of Great City Schools; American Association of School
Administrators
Topics/Titles Include:

















Improving learning focused leadership: Opportunities through partnership
Developing district-wide expertise to lead for instructional improvement
What it really means to lead for instructional improvement
Characteristics of schools that are closing the achievement gap
Attributes of school districts that are closing the achievement gap
Conditions for gap closing instruction
Attributes of high performing systems
Adaptive Leadership: Bridging the gap between values and beliefs and current reality
Systems Thinking: From icebergs to doom loops
Creating learning organizations
Shared Decision Making
Building Labor/Management Coalitions
Public engagement and accountability
Building an infrastructure for standards based education
Integrating Programs for Low Performing and Handicapped Students
Creating a label free environment
Personality and temperament styles as a vehicle for site based
management
BOARDS AND ADVISORY COUNCILS

Council of Great City Schools, Achievement Gap Task Force

Board of Directors, Source Child Center (Past)

South Snohomish County Chamber of Commerce Education Committee (Past)

Shoreline Community College, Training Programs for Learning Disabilities (Past)

Washington Association of School Administrators, Resolutions Chair (Past)
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

American Educational Research Association

Council of Great City Schools

Washington Association of School Administrators

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Phi Delta Kappa